Sotomayor

With the retirement of David Souter, Barack Obama has appointed Sonia Sotomayor to replace him on the bench. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be only the third women on the high court, and the first Latino. Her legal career aside, Sotomayor's life tells an exceptional story, growing up in a Bronx housing project without a father. And apparently, she's also a racist.



That is according to Newt Gingrich, who took this quote and deemed the judge unfit for confirmation: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." This very well could be a racist comment. If a white man made this statement in reverse, as Gingrich pointed out via Twitter, they would probably face a public uproar. Gingrich himself withdrew his comments, ceding no doubt to the fact that a woman with no father who grew up in the ghetto might have a perspective that a rich, white guy may not. In any event, someone should tell Sotomayor that SCOTUS is almost entirely made up of these "white males." She might have some explaining to do.



And in a, quite literally, breaking development, Sotomayor broke her ankle last week in an airport. This may appear to be an isolated incident, but to the shrewd political observer this is just another calculating move by Barack Obama, who clearly arranged for the "accident" just weeks before her nomination goes to the Hill. Some in Congress might deny the confirmation of America's first Latina justice. But NOBODY would deny a woman in crutches. Well played, Barry. Well played.